Beauty and the Beads
by Doggy2tails
Summary: Kagome was minding her business leading an ordinary life, yet feeling something was missing. What she did not expect was some beads, a spell, and a grumpy hanyou's heart, to be missing. Can she turn a cold heart into a heart of gold before it's too late?
1. The Calling

Hey guys! I'm really excited cause my computer's been down for so long and I've had this idea boiling in my head for some time now. I won't be able to finish my other story for a while now, (though as I look back there's a lot of mistakes and pieces chopped out) so instead I'm starting this one. I plan on updating once every two weeks, but possibly earlier depending on what kind of reviews I get. Enjoy!

"Did you see what he did? He offered you a romantic date to the movies! How could you turn him down like that?" Kagome simply shrugged her shoulders but Yuka proceeded right along not actually listening for an answer. "You may think you're all hot stuff now but just wait till you get older! You can't be so picky! He's, like, a total hunk!" Eri added her two cents.

Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes at the two of them. After all, she didn't very well understand what made the guy so important... 'I mean, I guess he could be considered cute…yeah, a freakishly polite annoying so-called 'cute' guy….every girl's dream!' She humored with herself, hardly surprised that she wasn't smiling.

"Maybe next time they could try the park!"

The group sweat-dropped at Ayumi, who in turn gave each of them a questionable stare. Each simply shook their heads at the confused schoolgirl, blessedly ending conversation the rest of the walk down.

It was true enough though. Hojo truly was polite, apparently good looking, and honestly cared for her well-being. But it felt like something was missing…for some reason unbeknownst she could not shake this odd feeling...It was strange because she was taught from Gramps long ago to fall in love with someone with that exact description. 'Of course, Gramps isn't exactly the best guy to go to for advice' Kagome reasoned, thoughtful.

The last piece of advice she had followed was in the third grade when she awoke many nights to horrid nightmares. Gramps, being his usual supernatural-believing self, had advised her to where a string of onions to bed every night. Of course, since then even the smallest scent of onions made Kagome want to hurl.

'Then again, that's not nearly as bad as Gramps' old voodoo treasure chest,' she thought, remembering how she found accidentally found it, each ancient and creepy looking with sewed-on buttons. 'Well, at least it cured my nightmares of vampires,' Kagome thought dryly.

"Bye, Kagome!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, she waved a half-hearted goodbye, glad to be home. The shrine was small, yet spacious enough to be cozy. Red tiles lead up to a warm roasting fire place, with pinecones ready to be lit underneath it.

"What's this?" She asked aloud.

Two sticky notes had been stacked one on top of the other on top of the doorknob. Peeling them off carefully, as if they were ticking time bombs instead of regular notes, Kagome read:

_Kagome_

_I will be out looking for the last missing piece to my voodoo collection. Please get some food at the grocery store. My back has been killing me, and I have reason to believe it is caused by the spirits that haunt our household. _

'Sure, Gramps, blame your old age on the non-existent.' She mentally rolled her eyes, nonetheless peeling off the second note.

_List of stuff you need to buy so that the spirits that haunt our household are satisfied and do not take out their anger on my back:_

_10 rotten yet edible apples_

_21 socks that do not match_

_13 eggs with no filling _

_12 dentures with no teeth_

_5 mildly-disturbed kittens_

Kagome's eyes bulged as she read through the list, not entirely sure where to find any of the queer items Gramps had asked for. 'What does he mean by 13 eggs? They only come in by the dozen.'

Scowling in determination, Kagome decided to set out on foot to find out where in the world Gramps assumed she would buy all the…items. So far, all the regular stores she tried had either given her a look that clearly read 'You are psycho. No psychos allowed,' or calmly led her to the exit.

"And stay out!" A particularly annoyed store clerk yelled. With his crooked nose and long greasy brown hair he looked nothing short of a witch. Kagome let out an un-ladylike grunt as she was shoved out of the small store and into a puddle of mud. Growling in equal annoyance, she tried to shoot the store clerk a fiery glance, which proved futile since he had already closed the door and whipped out his 'CLOSED' sign.

"Oh, isn't this lovely?" She sarcastically remarked, as she brushed the mud off her skirt.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

At first it started off slow: a few droplets of water here and there. By the time the very last speck had been brushed off, by some struck of luck, thunderclouds came strolling in followed by wails of misfortune that matched her dark mood.

But it was not the thunder and lightning, nor the rain, which had caused her to stop her ill thoughts and slowly, cautiously, turn around. Kagome felt like she was being forcefully pulled to the forest. This was simply crazy, because it was pouring down rain and lightning flashed what seemed like meters before her eyes. Something, she couldn't exactly tell what, beckoned her forward anyways, leading to a steep narrow trail. In fact, it was almost…spiritual…?

'Don't be ridiculous! Come on now? Spiritual? I'm turning into Gramps!' She mentally berated herself. Yet the feeling strongly throbbed, causing her to grasp her head for the oncoming headache. Knowing the odd feeling wasn't going to leave until she followed the strange calling, Kagome waved goodbye to the voice of reason and tromped straight through the forest. She knew the idea was simply preposterous, yet...strangely enough…she didn't care. 'At least it'll get this weird feeling gone once and for all,' she reasoned.

Well, this worked all in good, for a while.

That is, until night decided the rain and thunder had had their fun and it was its turn.

Cold wind jabbed at her face; her school clothes that she had cleaned earlier became mudded up so thoroughly to the point that she had given up on brushing the mud off, as well as became completely drenched. Each crunch beneath her feet seemed to ring out like missiles.

Yet every time she went to turn around, the oddly strong sensation pulsed beneath her fingers, seemingly forcing her onward.

Kagome let out a worn sigh, dragging her poor tired body across each stretch of land for all she was worth. Her stomach growled in protest. Her knees continuously buckled up. It had to be hours that she was just meandering pointlessly in a stretch of unknown forest territory. 'Come now, Kagome, you can't be serious. You've never even been to this forest. Besides, what if you get lost?' She mentally argued with herself. Yet she knew she wasn't going to stop until she found the source of the persistent…was it a feeling? A calling? Or was it just her heart beating irregularly? Kagome did not know…but she had to try and find out.

As if on cue, the weather dropped for what seemed like ten degrees. Kagome buried herself deep inside her clothing, annoyed to find what little heat resided there. "Stupid…stupid…stupid…" She chanted, quietly berating herself even though she was so cold by now to the point that became a difficulty. So instead, she substituted it with frantic running, because, well…she was lost; having only relied on the pulse beforehand was causing her to become frantic.

'What if leads to nowhere?' Kagome thought, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. The idea was so overwhelmingly sad; to simply die out in a forest she wasn't even sure the name of, that she pushed it aside. Night was falling quickly though. So quickly, in fact, that Kagome could no longer guide herself through the forest due to the pitch black darkness.

Her frantic jog soon became a slow walk, for she no longer had vision. "This is not good," she muttered to no one in particular. 'Way to go captain obvious…' Kagome thought sullenly, though her thoughts ran more along the lines of: where the heck am I going to sleep tonight?

Her knees, which had earlier began to buckle, were now beginning to lock themselves. It wasn't until her hands began to slowly turn purple, however, that Kagome truly began to worry. "Need s-s-sleep…Need…s-sleep…" She chanted to herself, as if by doing so her wishes would magically be granted. Sadly, this did not work out. The only real change was the throbbing beneath her fingertips that had slowly traveled to her whole body-only to have the feeling completely disappear all at once.

Kagome furrowed her brow; there was no real change. It was still just as cold, she was still extremely hungry, and it was still just as dark-

"Ouch!"

She fell back, landing on her bum. Clutching her poor head in pain, Kagome noticed something rather frightening…she was having a hard time trying to get up due to her near-frozen bones. "I guess I'll sleep here…" she mumbled sadly. It was a huge tree, with cowering branches, but somehow being around it made the throbbing disappear. Edging the tree, she tried to find the best spot on the tree that would suffice for the night that wasn't already inhabited by insects.

Eight small scoots to the right; she finally managed to situate herself into a small cocoon, covering herself with leaves. This did little to warm her, thus she shivered every so often in the night, barely able to sleep even though Kagome was both mentally and physically exhausted. Whining, she rocked herself back and forth in the effort to maintain a semblance of warmth.

Kagome cried softly. Sad, because, she did not want to perish out in a forest she wasn't even sure the name of, and because of missing her warm bed back at the shrine. She was also annoyed with herself for making such a stupid decision. What on earth made her walk right into the forest without a second thought…?

'_Goshinboku'_

Her eyes snapped open. "Who's there?" She asked in a whisper, half because the voice scared her and half because her own voice was nearly gone.

With a frown, she stood up and circled around the tree, curious to find nobody there. Yet she did notice one thing different-a bright light in the distance. 'Wait-are there people there?'

Kagome felt such an immense tug of relief that tears began ran down her face. Laughing, and feeling immensely giddy, she ran as fast as she could toward the light source. She couldn't even feel her legs, she was running so fast. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world…well not really considering she was somewhat beating herself up by running into a few branches along the way…but still.

By the time she made it to the front steps, her heart was pounding wildly in her ear, and she could scarcely breathe, due to the cold wind flaming her lungs. All feelings of pain came flooding back in. It was as if by being near the odd tree, it was protecting her…

'Hmm, that's strange,' she mulled, 'maybe I can ask whoever lives here about the tree.'

Kagome gently knocked on the door. A sudden, wild thought occurred to her. 'What if nobody's home? Then where will I go? There's no house out here except this one!'

She would've panicked had she not had her energy zapped out of her.

A cold wind blew. Kagome tried to huddle inside herself, but that method proved impossible. 'Please answer…please…' A few minutes passed. She glanced nervously at the door, waiting in tensed silence for the owner to answer.

The faint sound of a door creaking welcomed her ears.

Kagome didn't even look up before dropping to the floor from a mixture of pain, fatigue, exhaustion, hunger, and cold. She saw a brief figure of brown before handing over her body to the welcoming darkness.

'….thank… you…'

Eyes gently flickered open. Kagome grimaced, trying to adjust her eyes to the suddenly bright world. Oddly enough, she felt warm and cozy. Smiling, she noticed a small tray with a nice bowl of soup and crackers were placed right next to the sheets someone had wrapped around her.

Hunger kicking in, she greedily grabbed the bowl of soup, wasting no time in shoveling all its contents down her throat. After slurping up the entire bowl, Kagome moved onto the water placed right next to it, gulping down the remains of it feeling quite full. Feeling relaxed and healthy, she took a moment to peer around the room.

A large comfortable fluffy red rug…with lots of hair and fur…the room was rather small, but Kagome could vaguely remember how large the castle…house…thing was. Where was she again?

Curious, she abandoned the small cozy room in exchange for some exploring.

"OH MY GOD!"

The place was obviously a castle, what with its long gaping red drapes and long marble hallways. Blinking in surprise, Kagome felt as if she were Alice and the world was amazingly large. The ceilings were even long… 'I wonder who lives here?' she mulled, bubbling at the thought of meeting some famous person after all of her troubles.

Letting out a wistful sigh, Kagome noticed all the beautiful red banners draping alongside the ceiling. Each was decorated with the face of a dog…a strangely enough it wasn't completely dog, it was more like a half dog half human figure…interesting…

It looked more like a ballroom to be honest, what with nothing in the center of the large room. It felt almost as if she had stepped into a different era…

The lighting lacked electricity, lit up by candles instead with long towering chandeliers. Large stain glass windows portraying the same dog-like face surrounded the expanse of room as well.

"-we needn't do that sir, after all, time is of the essence. I think I may have found someone worth seeking-"

Kagome let out a small gasp, hiding behind one of the walls as the nasally voice drew nearer, suddenly nervous of meeting the owners. Who were they talking about? Curiosity settling in, she decided to meet them later.

"-but be warned, master, she is very powerful and knows many spells, yet I believe she wishes seldom people harm."

A second voice, however much more masculine, ground out, "Fine I'll meet the damn witch lady! If I do you stupid people better stop nagging me or all slice all your throats!"

A little 'pop' noise closely followed.

"You've still got the tastiest blood ever master…" the nasally voice dwindled.

'Witch lady?' Kagome pondered, wondering who exactly a 'witch lady' was, yet for some reason afraid to interrupt.

With that followed a large crashing sound. Without another word, she scampered through the hallways, more afraid so than ever to be caught, for she felt ashamed that she had just heard something private and had indeed eavesdropped.

Running blindly down the halls, Kagome opened the nearest door, shutting it firmly behind her. What exactly had she just heard? Where was she, really?

"What are you doing here-"A woman's voice said, then gasped, suddenly moving into a defense position.

Surprised, Kagome gasped, racking her brain for an excuse. 'Well, you see, I have just eavesdropped on some people talking about a witch lady and one of them burst through the door,' she thought sarcastically.

"W-well I wanted to explore the castle…sorry,"

The woman had long dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail, with a pair of matching fierce brown eyes. Her face looked oddly white for some reason, and before Kagome could count her blessings, she found herself being dragged by her hand out the room she hadn't even the chance to look at.

Surprised by the woman's strength, Kagome could only follow dumbly. She found herself being invited to the same room she woke up in. Her eyes widened a fraction-this woman was the one that took care of her!

Feeling relieved, the feeling died immediately upon arrival as she was dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

"I don't know who you think you are coming to this castle, Kikyo, but you better expect to be hanged!" The woman glared daggers at her. Confused, Kagome nervously gulped.

"I'm not Kikyo. My name is Kagome-"

"Don't play dumb with me! You're lucky Prince Inuyasha was too preoccupied with some chores to bother with you otherwise you'd be slaughtered mercilessly!"

The mental picture of her being slaughtered like a cow raced through her mind.

Dropping to the floor, Kagome felt weak.

"Is there anything I can do to prove I'm not this 'Kikyo' person?" 'Perhaps I wondered into the wrong castle…' she mulled wearily.

The current of fierce anger coursing through the lady's eyes seemed to momentarily pause. When ten minutes passed and no answers came about, Kagome racked her brain for a solution.

"Uh…uh…ah ha!" She raised a finger in the air determinedly. "I am Kagome Higurashi. I live with a cat named Buyo. My Gramps believes in magical nonsense. I grew up in a shrine. I have three slightly dim-witted friends whose only concern in life consists of which celebrity is hooking up with whom," she counted off the tip of her finger. Feeling a bit more confident now that the lady looked confused instead of angered, Kagome continued.

"My dad moved to America for his job. He used to work as a barber-"

Quickly silenced by the lady's finger, Kagome peered up at her face, relieved to find all traces of anger left the woman's face. It was instead replaced by a small smile.

"Nice to meet you Kagome, I'm Sango," Sango, apparently, offered her hand. Kagome welcomed this chance with a smile as well, clasping the offer with a small shake.

"How did you know I wasn't this 'Kikyo' person or whatever?" 'I mean, you were about to chop my throat just a minute ago,' she thought wryly.

At this a smirk appeared on Sango's face.

"I know because Kikyo isn't creative enough to whip up an answer. Plus, you're way too naïve to possibly be Kikyo."

Choosing to ignore the insult, Kagome nodded, wanting instead an earlier question to be answered.

"Who exactly is Kikyo?"

A dark look quickly flew over her face, before being masked almost immediately by a blank face of indifference.

"She is nobody."

'Well, you sure didn't react like she was a nobody," Kagome puzzled, completely unconvinced.

"Why don't you go take a nap? After all you still look weak."

The earlier kindness dissipated from her face, leaving no emotion. Instinct telling her she was to get no answers, Kagome simply nodded, yet she still had so many questions. Where was she? Who's Kikyo? What did they mean by 'witch lady'? What exactly was Goshinboku?

Frowning, for she knew these would all have to wait to be answered, Kagome snuggled into the small pile of blankets.

"One more thing,"

Twisting around, she refocused on Sango standing at the doorway, who she originally presumed had left.

"Make sure you do not be seen by Prince Inuyasha until I explain to him the situation. He already put one person in the cellar and won't be in the most accommodating mood," before Kagome could ask what Prince Inuyasha looked like, or even what she meant by that, Sango disappeared.

Sighing in annoyance, she tossed all of her questions and worries around in her head, eventually falling into a deeply peaceful slumber. It was all a dream. Soon, she'd wake up in her bed with Buyo rumbling happily on her chest, no castle with 'witch ladies', 'Sango', 'Goshinboku', or 'Prince Inuyasha' to worry about.

Little did she know how much trouble she really stumbled on…

Let me know what you think as well as any mistakes I might have made :).


	2. Ponds, Training, and Eye Patches

Wet, sand-paper tongue licked the tip of her nose. Kagome lazily scratched Buyo's ears.

"Silly cat," she mumbled, slowly rubbing her eyes and stretching. She felt as if she had slept her entire life…she had to admit, it felt pretty good. Between the soft velvety feel of the blankets and the pillow cushions, Kagome decided there couldn't have been a better place to sleep, even though it was on the floor.

Peering to the side, she blinked and rubbed her eyes again to ensure she wasn't imagining things. This cat was not Buyo. In fact, it had fierce red eyes, black stripes, and…was that two tails?

"Aw, you poor kitty…I hope the mutation still allows you to see…." Kagome tried to comfort, petting the cat's head. She had to do a double-take, for she was almost certain the cat gave her an irritated look. But by the time she looked again the cat was looking about in a listless manner.

Memory of the night in the forest came flooding back into her mind, as if a mighty dam had broken…and with that came confusion.

Questions such as: How did I get here? Where the heck am I? This only surfaced her earlier questions from the night before. Who's Kikyo? Who's Inuyasha? What's Goshinboku? What witch lady? Gods, she had so many questions…somehow she doubted she was going to be able to get them all answered, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

Getting up from her laying position, she noticed a tray with various foods. Actually, they were delicious looking foods. How did she miss that? Ah well who cares, it's free food.

A piece of toast, miso soup, and green tea later, she finally took notice of the little note that came along with the tray.

"I must be having a slow morning…I can't believe I didn't see that…" She slapped her forehead at her own obliviousness. Regardless, she picked up the little note and zoned into it.

_Kagome,_

_I went out to target practice. Do not try and follow me. Stay in your room until I return. If you don't, I will be forced to use my weapons on you, and possibly use the trained dogs to maim you._

_P.S. Kirara, the little cat inside the room, really needs a bath. If you could do that, that would be great._

_ Sango_

Kagome snorted out loud. First she makes a threat, and then asks a favor? That's simply rude… Leaving the room and exploring sounded so much more worthwhile than sticking around to bathe a mutated cat. Besides, the place was so huge, there's no way Sango would be able to find her. She'd just be gone for a couple minutes anyway…she'd be right back.

Rushing out the doorway, leaving a puzzled-looking Kirara, Kagome paused a moment to allow her eyes to absorb the sights around her, much more than the night before. It was beautiful…there was still the odd dog-creature that she suspected must have been Prince Inuyasha, for who else would have their face hung up on a wall? Surely not a servant.

But aside from that, there was magnificent lights hanging down from the ceiling flickering back and forth across the glossy marble, though there was still nothing in the middle of the ballroom-looking area. Tall pillars of wood with little leaves carved around them surrounded the perimeter, as well as a long staircase leading to the top, where four long hallways were attached. It literally looked fit for a king.

Obviously, she was no longer in modern-day Japan. That or some culture that never grew…? Odd…

Turning another corner, she could only blankly stare. There were so many doors…each stood waiting to be opened. Curious, Kagome opened the door to the right.

Steamy air fogged over her eyes. It wasn't even a room…it led straight to dirt and a hot steaming pond. This sounded so blissful since she could look down and clearly see the dirt stains streaking against her once pale skin, all along her legs and arms.

"Okay…I'll stay in here five minutes and then I'll be straight out. There's no way she'll be back in five minutes." She whispered to rationalize her decision to take a quick dip.

Quickly, she scanned the room once more. There were definitely no people there. After she was finished undressing, she cautiously stuck her foot into the water.

"Ahhhhhh" was all she could manage to express how delightful this felt. Settling into the water, she felt the hot steam work its magic and relax every muscle in her body, as she continued to sink deeper and deeper. Mud floated up to the top, flooding around her in a dance. Her head was already lulling side to side out of the water...Kagome was so relaxed.

She wanted to stay in the hot pond of heaven for the rest of eternity…

Well, that's what she planned on, anyway. Until the door burst open with such a force all she could do was let out a girly shriek.

"Sango? What the hell are you doing here! I thought I made it clear that this was my pond and my pond only!" An irritated masculine voice reached her poor relaxed ears.

Kagome caught a glimpse of his face, only making out sharp amber eyes and startlingly silver hair before the guy turned around. She remembered the eyes and hair from the banisters. 'So, this is Prince Inuyasha…Well, that certainly explains why there's nobody here.' Kagome thought, though she couldn't fool herself; the voice, as well as the piercing eyes, scared her.

"Uh um-"Crap, what did Sango sound like again? Coughing, she tried her best imitation. "Well, you see, I did some target practice and I got real tired so I wanted to relax." Kagome mentally congratulated herself for her quick thinking.

"That's what the pond _outside_ is for." He snapped, though with his back turned it didn't quite make the same impact. How was she going to get past him with him blocking the doorway?

"Y-yeah, uh, sorry; I'll be right out. Just keep your eyes closed I don't want you peeking anywhere!" Kagome commanded in her fake slightly deeper voice, though her knees betrayed her.

Prince Inuyasha scoffed. "As if I'd want to look at you. That's Miroku's job."

'Ooooh, Sango has a boyfrienddd.' Kagome almost started to giggle at her childish thoughts but refrained from doing so because it seemed out of character for Sango, not to mention completely random. Another person to add to the list of people she needed to find out…

"Yep, that's Miroku, always doing his job." Was all Kagome could think of, though the moment it came out of her mouth she felt instantly stupid.

"What?" She could've slapped herself for his voice was raised to exaggerated confusion.

"Nothing! Nothing!"

Creeping up out of the deliriously warm water, Kagome slowly edged her way closer to where the Prince stood, tapping his foot impatiently. She wrapped one of the lying towels on her small form. Kagome noted how there appeared to be actual talon-like claw growths coming out of his feet…another feature to add to his doggedness. 'Ok…I'm pretty positive I'm in Disney World...'

"Are you going nuts or something Sango?"

Kagome scowled, just as she was about to come ten feet away from him and the door.

"No, it's the hot water making me drunk; just step out of the way please." She faked Sango's nonchalant voice again, though it was on the verge of cracking from impatience. Seriously, why couldn't he just get out of the way? Sango could be getting back at any moment…or worse, he could turn around and see her.

"Whatever. Just…take whatever it is you take when it's your time of the month and leave me be." Despite the insult, he took a sweeping step to the side giving her a view of light shining through a crack in the doorway. That was hope enough.

Kagome coughed to cover up a derisive snort, choosing not to comment on the ignoramus in favor of leaving to go back to Sango's room.

The closer she came, the faster she walked, for fear of being discovered, until finally she made her way past him without so much as a glimpse in his direction; though her elbow scraped against the side of the door, she continued forward.

Pacing hurriedly down the hallway, she prayed her memory served its duty whilst picking a random door that seemed about right.

Kagome's chest heaved a mighty sigh of relief. It was Kirara, blinking curiously up at her-no Sango in sight.

"So long, dog man…" She whispered to the unknowing feline, who merely mewled and whipped her two tails.

She slumped to the floor, looking at the little pile of blankets in thought. For a murderer, Prince Inuyasha seemed rather bored…not kind by any stretch of means, but he didn't seem evil either…what an odd man…dog…thing.

Whatever the case that was just about enough adventuring she'd had for one day. Gramps was probably very worried about her. God knows what trouble he'd probably get himself into alone with any potions whatsoever. Kagome hated to admit it, but she already missed the old coot. She missed him and home a lot…Her questions would simply have to remain unanswered.

"I might as well take up the offer to think a bit," she informed Kirara, who shook her fur as if on cue. 'What a strange little cat…how fitting. The place is strange so why not have a strange cat to boot?' She toyed with the idea.

Grabbing the little cat, she peered around the room once more. No bath tubs.

Yep, there was absolutely no way on Earth this place was modern.

Sighing hopelessly, she patted Kirara's head, putting her back on the floor. "Maybe later I'll give you a bath." Probably not. 'I hope Sango doesn't get too disappointed,' Kagome thought, though as soon as the thought passed she didn't care because memory of Sango's threat soon followed.

The subject of her thoughts came springing into the room.

Sango was panting on her knees. Kagome waited patiently for her to begin.

"I thought…training…would never…end…" She then coughed, talking slightly clearer. "I'm so glad you're still here. I would've figured you would've walked all over the place without me!"

Kagome laughed nervously.

"Why would I do such a thing?"

"I don't know. But that doesn't matter. I came here as quick as I could. Kaede gave me a spell that would disguise your scent; you'll need to take it tonight."

Great. Another person she didn't know.

Kagome was very much tempted to ask who Miroku was, but couldn't afford to give way to where she'd been going.

Sango shoved a small pink bottle into her hands. It looked like medicine from back home. 'I think I'm gonna be sick…' Sango must've caught on from her facial expressions, because she gave a positive beaming smile.

"Don't worry about it! Tastes like mint leaves."

Kagome gave her a disbelieving look. She placed the strange bottle next to her pile of blankets.

"Thanks…how come you're helping me?"

"There are barely any women here. There's just Kaede and myself…I need a female friend. There's just so much testosterone a girl can take."

Kagome nodded, mentally formulating her next question.

"About Prince Inuyasha…how bad is he? He doesn't look so bad from the wall banisters…"

Sango shook her head. "No, he's not really a bad person. He's just bitter and resentful. I was fortunate enough to know him before he got that way….now hanging people for no good reason is the equivalent of sipping tea for him."

Kagome gulped, staring at her hands until they balled themselves into fists. "What a bastard!" She spit out finally. "Who hangs innocent people for no reason?"

Sango sighed, staring at the ground in uncertainty, as if weighing how much information she should give out. "Like I said, he's just bitter and resentful."

It was obvious there was more to it than that, yet again. But that explanation would simply have to do for the time being, since she wasn't willing to give out any more information.

"Let's go now. If we wait too long she'll nod off." Sango decided, clearly not caring for a reply.

She grabbed Kagome's hand and led her through the curiously long hallway, each a bit intriguing and leaving her imagination to get wild.

'I bet that one's the slaughter house.' Kagome bitterly humored herself, as she passed by each door. 'That one's the insane asylum…that one's a jail cell…that one's an abandoned warehouse…'

Kagome was beginning to get a bit suspicious as the hallway kept continuing, not to mention lazy for one can only think up so many horrible places. Luckily, just as she was about to calmly excuse herself to go back the way they came, Sango chirped, "Here we are!"

It was the first door that turned into the hallway. Sango banged roughly on the door, so much in fact that Kagome was surprised the door didn't split in half. 'Jeez…what is it with this place? Has nobody heard of politely knocking?'

As if to answer her thoughts, Sango leans over and whispers, "Sorry I have to do that because she's becoming a bit hard of hearing."

She nodded. That made sense…somewhat…

The sound of rustling covers and a couple grumbles reached their ears. Unsurprisingly, the door creaked open to reveal an older woman. What was surprising was the fact that the older lady adorned a black eye patch, which Kagome quickly took her eyes off of to not appear rude. In the back of her mind she wandered if other pirates lived there.

The old lady, whom she guessed could be no other than Kaede, gave them a steely look. Kagome felt her judging eyes scan her entire form, and feeling quite awkward, she pretended not to notice.

"So," Kaede started after a good fifteen seconds of awkwardness, "ye must be Kagome that Sango has been telling me about. Are ye part of some mafia? I've never seen clothes like that around here before."

Kagome blushed, shaking her head. "No ma'am. I'm from Japan, but this place seems…different than any part of Japan I know. It's very interesting, but I'm not quite sure where I am." Mentally she berated herself for not having asked already, but she just had so many questions.

Kaede let out a long, worn sigh.

"Come in. I've just been making some tea."

They took up the offer and stepped inside, Kagome looking about. It was a comfortable little place…a mat was on the floor, and little pieces of what appeared to be halfway finished quilts were strewn about the room. Old school, if not older, but still neat.

"Sit," Kaede commanded, shuffling into the room with a tray holding small cups of tea. They each took their respective one cup and slowly lowered to the ground, taking small sips of tart tea.

Kagome decided to break the silence. "So…where am I?"

Kaede took one last long sip, as if preparing for a long speech.

"You are at Prince Inuyasha's castle; he is the ruler of the East Kingdom. Where are you from?"

'Well that was anticlimactic,' Kagome thought, rolling her eyes at the short statement. She pressed on, disregarding her question. "I know, but what year is this?"

"The year is 1186." Sango answered. Kagome nearly spit her tea all over the little mat…

They both clearly picked up on Kagome's startled face and asked in unison what was wrong.

"I can't believe I'm in feudal Japan! Where I come from, the year is 2013." She probably should have known the time period she just didn't bother to pay attention in history class…

Kaede and Sango both exchanged a look of confusion.

"Then how on Earth did you get here?" Sango questioned.

Kagome thought back to the voice, and the odd pulsing sensation. "I'm not sure…I felt something pulling at me, a nagging pulse to go through the forest and I'm not sure what it was. Finally when I got to a certain point, I thought popped into my head and said Goshinboku."

Kaede gasped. "Ay…this cannot be…nobody's been able to get pass through the tree's barrier since…" She cut herself off.

"Since who?" She prodded.

They both took a sip of their tea, staring everywhere except her.

"Don't worry about it child. I would share it with you, but I'm afraid my life would be the price…" Kaede explained solemnly, Sango nodding in agreement.

"But it does mean one thing." she continued, "Ye must have spiritual power of some sort." Sango and Kaede exchanged a knowing look to each other, leaving Kagome to feel a bit left out.

Kaede hovered her hands over her stomach. "Yes…you do indeed have spiritual powers…they are weak however and could use some improvement but I see potential."

Nope. This lady's bonkers.

"What spiritual powers? I'm no monk."

Kagome rubbed her head at the area where a throbbing headache was beginning to form.

"I want to become a veterinarian…I'm pretty sure there's nothing spiritual about that."

Her words fell on deaf ears for as she looked at the two they were absorbed in a whispering conversation.

The headache became a bit worse. "Look, could you please just tell me the way out of here?"

Finally Sango perked up from her leaning position.

"How would you feel about becoming the castle priestess?" Sango ignored her inquiry.

Kagome opened her mouth and closed her eyes to answer, only to open them back up again and see a pair of raging amber eyes glaring knives.

"_**YOU LIAR!**_"


	3. Close Call

Kagome could barely manage a gasp as she felt the weight of her being lifted in the air. How did she blow her cover?

"How's it going there up there Kikyo? How does it feel to be lifted up and have the life sucked out of you?" Prince Inuyasha sneered, tightening his hold around her already blistering neck. Kagome watched in horror as blood started trickling down her neck. The feeling of pressure against her neck was so intense…she was certain he could snap her neck with the flick of his finger.

"Wait! She's not Kikyo!" Sango cried, though she backed up for fear of becoming the target of his rage.

His scathing eyes narrowed.

"Shut up Sango. I'd know Kikyo from anywhere. She reeks of Kikyo…" He glowered, then turning his focus back onto her. "So listen here. I'm going to claw out your eyes and neck, and hang you from the balcony to let all the castle witness this day. I've finally found you." A dark chuckle arose from his lips, which were curled into a sinister smile.

Tears escaped the corners of her eyes picturing the gruesome image. And here she'd thought she'd die at the age of a hundred in her sleep…

Kagome felt the all the air being sucked out of her body. Her face turned a sickly shade of purple, as he slowly suffocated her.

"So tell me Kikyo. What brings you to my castle? Come to make my life a living hell again? That's just too bad…" He continued taunting, until a twisted roar bellowed out from his chest. Kagome felt as if a large baggage had been tossed off her chest. She twisted around, gasping for the air that she desperately needed. Never before had air seemed so precious…

Sango and Kaede both exchanged terrified glances that she could just barely make out from the corners of her teary eyes.

"Ay, ye may want to reconsider Inuyasha. This girl is indeed not Kikyo." Kaede spoke up, apparently over her initial shock.

"Shut up you old worn hag. With that stupid patch on your eye no wonder you can't tell it's Kikyo. You look like a moron."

"That may be. Regardless, check her one more time; you may be surprised by what you find out."

Kagome shook her head back and forth as a signal to Kaede that that wasn't the best idea, though it was already too late. Inuyasha marched on over to her crouched body crunched up in the fatal position.

"Do I really have to prove it to you blind people? Can't you see this is finally the day I can slaughter her? So be it…if it gets you off my ass." Inuyasha griped.

Prince Inuyasha knelt down and got face close to her vulnerable neck. Kagome tried to scoot away, for after that little episode she definitely didn't trust him with her bleeding and bruised neck, yet he simple moved his face closer with each little subtle scoot she tried to make to the door. She could only watch in surprise as he started carefully sniffing her neck, a complete contradiction of his earlier actions.

His amber eyes widened. As if in disbelief, he began cautiously sniffing her face. Kagome closed her eyes, feeling terribly uncomfortable as his menacing fangs brushed against her skin with each sniff.

Thankfully, he eventually raised himself back up. Though this time he began whispering to himself like a madman, things Kagome couldn't make out for they were barely a whisper.

His back straightened, his bangs covering his eyes. Kagome held her breath, scared to see what he'd possibly do next now that he thought she was this 'Kikyo' person.

He whispered, scarily calm, "It's not Kikyo."

She breathed a sigh of relief; glad to see the guy wasn't completely in the coo coo pin.

Nonetheless, his eyes quickly narrowed back to their original state.

"There's still a penalty for trespassers. You'll still be hung don't worry." Prince Inuyasha consoled, patting her head in a demeaning manner as if she were a small child. Kagome scoffed.

"I am not going to be hung! I have to get back to my Grandfather…Look, why don't you just let me go and I'll never come back? You've hurt me quite enough today." She choked out, finding it extremely difficult to talk.

Inuyasha gasped, taken aback by her response. Clearly he wasn't used to being talked back to. Well, she had plenty more where that came from...

"You don't talk to me that way you stupid Kikyo look alike! Nobody ever talks down on me like that. No way am I letting you clean off the slate." His face twisted into a demented smile, "In fact now I think I'll have you eaten alive instead. Want to ask for anything else?" Nope, he was completely in the coo coo pin. This wasn't like her first impression whatsoever; it was like he was two separate people…

"Don't do that Inuyasha!" Sango tried to defend futilely.

Kagome could only glare at him, unable to speak or else she would start sobbing. She didn't want to let him see his words effects on her, so she merely shrugged, although it was a forced reaction.

Her pretend nonchalance only made him mad further.

With a growl, Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder so roughly he pierced her skin. Kagome bit back a scream; she was determined not to let him have the satisfaction of watching her die…Oh, but how much she wanted to live…there had to be some way out.

Inuyasha dragged her quickly down the hallway. Kaede and Sango closely followed at his heels, when all of a sudden he stopped, causing them to bump into him, though he paid no mind.

"Attention soldiers! Attention!"

Kagome could only stare stupidly as hundreds of men came swarming out of the doors. Each looked like they were in dire need of a toothbrush, toothpaste, and some shampoo, and they all wore old warrior attire, almost mimicking Inuyasha's red clothes. And to think, she could've walked into one of these people's rooms… Kagome shivered. 'Probably none are as bad as Inuyasha,' she thought bitterly.

In unison, all of the soldiers stomped one foot and got on their knee. She couldn't believe how much respect someone like Inuyasha could get from all the people…yet she knew how ridiculously strong he was, so that had to be it.

Prince Inuyasha cleared his throat. "We have ourselves a trespasser."

Kagome whimpered and a tear slid down her cheek as he grabbed her sensitive, bruised, bleeding neck and lifted her into the air. All the men fist pumped into the air, bumping each other's stomachs like true barbarians.

Luckily, some of the pressure was relieved from her neck. The cost, however, was that she had complete strangers grabbing parts of her that she had intended her husband later on in life to touch, sending her further and further down the hallway. More tears slid down her cheek.

She closed her eyes, pretending she was back at home. It seemed almost unreal that it was only one night ago she lay snuggled under her warm covers…and now she was preparing to die.

The soldiers' indiscernible remarks could be heard ricocheting across the hallway. That was one thing she couldn't cancel out of her head as she tried to envision being at home.

A streak of light shined onto her face, this time completely canceling out her vision; death all of a sudden seemed real and it weighed down heavily on her chest; she could barely breathe.

Opening her eyes, she felt herself being chained up. One by one, the soldiers tightened robes around her legs and arms. It was a gigantic arena, towering over her head. Inside held nothing but dirt and spare patches of grass.

Kaede and Sango had followed the entire time, but Kaede seemed to be exhausted and had taken a seat on the dry soil. Sango ran over, a gloomy expression taking over her face. "I'm sorry he found you...I should've given you that potion sooner… Look, just close your eyes before it happens so you can go peacefully." She ran up to the top of the arena before she had time to answer.

This only served to frighten her more; she started to hyperventilate.

All of the men began piling up in the seats surrounding the top of the arena. She found herself alone.

A man in yellow robes stepped up holding six extremely agitated-looking dogs by leashes, causing her to struggle against the ropes.

"No! Please! I don't want to die like this!" She hollered, no longer caring about her pride in front of Prince Inuyasha now that she was a mere fifteen feet away from death.

"These dogs haven't eaten in three days." Kagome craned her neck, hearing Inuyasha's voice above her but not seeing him. "So you'll be absolute heaven for them. Think, you're doing them a service." He yelled out sarcastically, and all the men hooted with callous laughter.

Kagome felt her face heat up. Never before had she felt such an intense hatred for someone… 'I hope you get slaughtered slowly by a murderer in your sleep, Inuyasha." She thought venomously. The intense hatred was quickly replaced by intense fear, for the dogs suddenly weren't chained up anymore…and moving at a fast pace.

She could only manage a surprised gasp as each dog latched onto her body, crying out with startled pain. The audience erupted in cheers.

"Alright she's dead. Go get your dogs." Prince Inuyasha commanded.

They were about to obey, when a bright pink bubble formed light exploded into the arena's field. The entire audience became quiet out of shock. The dogs were completely obliterated, as if they never even existed.

"The hell…?"

"It appears the young lady has survived." One of the younger soldiers informed.

"Well no shit."

Kagome gaped, staring in shock at the pink energy that just exploded out of her. Since when was that there…? How in the world…? She was still in immense pain but…somehow…she was still alive. Tears spilled out of her eyes, this time out of sheer happiness.

Her body still sagged from exhaustion. The world spun around her, until it melted into an immediate dark blackness, shrouding her in a relieved rest.

Kagome felt a damp washcloth dabbing on her head. The sleep was almost intoxicating…she wished she could sleep for all eternity, yet her stomach happily argued.

Slowly, she cracked open one heavy eyelid that met face-to-face with Kaede's forehead.

"I see you're awake. I got you a new pair of clothes to wear, so go get yourself cleaned up a bit. Prince Inuyasha is waiting for you." Kaede instructed.

It took a moment to absorb the information. When she finally processed it her lips creased into a frown.

"How come I got to see that crazy man…dog…thing? What if he tries to kill me? Don't you people keep locks on these doors?" She protested, quickly sitting up in an upright position.

Only to be pushed back down.

"Ay child, ye don't want to do that. Come up slowly. Don't worry about that, he said he wanted to talk to you, and that he would not hurt you."

'I'll believe that when apes rule the world,' she thought, disbelieving. Nonetheless, she slowly raised herself to an upright position.

"You _absolutely_, swear on your _first child's life_, sure?"

Kaede rolled her eyes…err…eye.

"Yes. I am absolutely, positively, pinky promise sure."

Kagome felt like a small tot but she couldn't help but make sure, for her own life rested on it. Even then she still felt pretty shaky about it. Prince Inuyasha sure was such a major jerk, and an absolutely evil person. The jerks at her school really needed to stay with him for a night.

Carefully getting up, she noticed gauze around her neck where the blood and bruises used to be. She gave a soft touch at the unfamiliar feel of something actually touching that area, causing her to wince in pain.

"Thank you, Kaede." She managed through clenched teeth.

Kaede nodded her head and gave a soft smile.

"Don't worry about it. I just didn't want you to bleed to death for that is an awfully painful way to go."

Kagome sweat-dropped. 'Gee thanks, and being eaten by dogs is totally ok then I presume?' she thought sourly, though choose not to share that thought and accept her kindness.

"Where's Sango?" She voiced the next question that popped into her head.

"Sango had to go to target practice, but she's the one who carried you all the way through the halls to bring you here so be sure to thank her later but not right now-" Kagome felt touched that Sango would even go to such lengths even though they barely knew each other. "-you need to go get dressed and meet him outside. He gets terribly impatient." Kaede finished. That much she could believe.

Begrudgingly, she lifted up the pile of clothes left next to the blankets, and dragged her feet into the small bathroom area that had no actual bath or toilet, but thankfully had a mirror. Stripping down her clothes, she noticed how ugly and beat up her clothes were; they were almost completely shredded with just barely enough cloth to keep her from showing her actual female parts.

She slipped on the new pair. It was a tight red kimono, with small flower designs crossing along the neck. The silky texture against her skin was lovely. Her hair could use a nice shampoo, but that would have to do. That pink light shooting out of her…what in heaven's name was that? Perhaps Kaede would know.

"Hey Kaede, what was that pink stuff that came out? It felt like some energy exploding out of me I can't explain it…" Kagome questioned, stepping out of the small room.

"It surprised me too. I knew you had spiritual powers I just didn't know they were quite that strong. It must have been because you were in fatal danger so your body reacted that way."

'Holy cow,' Kagome puzzled, 'I really do have powers…wish I would've known that sooner…maybe I can use my mighty spiritual powers to blast that Inuyasha to the moon.'

The idea made her smile. Then it made her frown.

'Just how in the world did I do that?'

As if to answer her unannounced question, Kaede spoke up, "It will take some practice to be able to use your own powers by your own will, but it's definitely possible."

"Thanks Kaede, but I can't. I have to go back to my grandfather's. Maybe I can practice when I get home. I really appreciate it though."

"Alright then, but be sure to talk to Inuyasha and see what he wants before you leave, so he doesn't do the same thing as last time okay?"

Kagome gulped. She never hoped to experience something like that for the rest of her life…if it took talking to him then so be it.

"Sure thing Kaede,"

"Enough. Go see Inuyasha."

With a soft sigh, Kagome walked out of the door, only to walk right back in.

"Which way is outside?"

"He's at the front."

Well that was easy enough. She kind of wished it was further…

Quickly hurrying down the halls, she made it to the door in no time. Her heart wracked against her ribcage, like a wild dog tied to a post. Slowly, she eased her fingers over the door, contemplating if she should really go through with it or turn back and hide somewhere.

The decision was made for her, for the door was thrown open.

"WHERE IS-…oh," Prince Inuyasha cut himself off as their eyes met.

"Finally, took you long enough. Follow me," he ordered. With a swivel of his heels he immediately began grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her in his lead. Kagome felt antsy with his sharp claws poking her skin with each step.

"I can walk on my own, thanks." Kagome ground out finally as they took a sharp turn that pierced her skin. She really should've left while she had the chance…who knew what the crazy nut would do…maybe if she screamed loud enough Kaede would hear in case he went even more insane.

Prince Inuyasha paid no mind to her irritated plea and continued silently tugging her. Kagome gently tried to pry off his fingers but he simply clamped on tighter making her wince. She let out an agitated sigh. The further they went the more frightened Kagome became, for she was pretty sure neither Kaede nor Sango would be able to hear her.

"You know, if you kill me in a dark alley you won't like the results. I could get a police force to come and sentence you to life in jail."

Inuyasha gave a contemptuous snort.

"Calm down I'm not going to kill you. You may actually be…very useful to me."

It's a shorter chapter but the next one will be longer, don't fret.


	4. Curses

Kagome's mouth dropped.

"I AM NOT BECOMING YOUR SEX SLAVE!"

Prince Inuyasha visibly flinched at the screech. It took him a moment to calculate what those words were, and then he did a double-take.

"That's not what I mean! What do you take me for, some kind of pervert?" He sputtered, as if the words themselves were so ridiculous they were incomprehensible.

Kagome frowned and crossed her arms.

"I wouldn't be all that surprised if you were a crazy ax murderer here to chop my head off."

At least he wasn't planning to rape her back here…

He pinched his forehead, sighing impatiently. "Look, all I need to say to you is this. I saw what you did back there-well, everyone did-and you have a talent that not many people possess." Kagome's eye twitched at the compliment. "So I've decided that you are going to spend the rest of your days here in my castle and use your spiritual power to help me out a bit."

Kagome's anger was bubbling up, like a pot of boiled water about to spill over the edge.

"Do you seriously think I'm some random girl that has absolutely no life?"

He gave a small nod. The pot spilled over.

"I'm not! I have a life!" A dull one…but still a life.

He rolled his beast-like amber eyes.

"That's nice, but you have no choice in the matter. Your first task of the day will be to go out and pick herbs with the rest of them. Let's see if you can handle that." Inuyasha smirked, showing one of his fangs.

She stomped her foot in protest.

"You don't understand, I **have **to go home, my grandfather is counting on me."

He rubbed his chin. Kagome sincerely hoped he was taking the thought into consideration.

Standing there for a good five minutes, he finally finished "Nope."

Kagome glared at him for all she was worth, knowing he overpowered her. He was some giant Feudal time hulk, and here she was just some measly schoolgirl…but he wasn't going to stop her from doing what she wanted. If she played along long enough she would find some way out.

Forcing a nod, Kagome didn't attempt a smile knowing her face would crack in anger if she allowed her face of nonchalance to change.

Prince Inuyasha seemed a bit surprised that she didn't bark out in anger, though the surprise was short-lived for he swiveled on his heel and went straight back to prince mode.

"Ryuu!" He called out sharply.

An audible grunt could be heard echoing down the hallway, followed by obstreperous footsteps that shook the floor. Kagome waited in tense silence, almost expecting a dragon to come swooping down the hallway and gobbling her up. Sadly, that didn't seem as much of a fantasy as it once was when she was a little girl.

**Stomp. Stomp.**

Her eyes were glued to the end of the hallway, waiting for some sort of mystical creature to come popping up, but her eyes only greeted a surprisingly short, yet exceedingly portly, bald man.

"Stupid girl, meet Ryuu. Ryuu, meet stupid girl."

The man gave a nasty smile showing an assorted arrangement of rotting yellow and green teeth. Kagome grimaced as he reached out a greasy hand.

"Hello stupid girl."

Kagome shot a sideways glare to Prince Inuyasha, however he only gave a big grin that nearly split his face in two. She wasn't completely sure which of the two men appearances were creepier…

"Hello…Ryuu," she managed through her forced smile. He gave her a strong handshake nearly shattering her hand causing her to wince in pain.

"Ryuu, take her to the fields, and make sure she doesn't run away. If she does, you know what to do."

Ryuu gave a terse nod.

"I have a name you know!"

"Sure you do…sure you do…" Inuyasha belittled.

With no warning whatsoever, Kagome squeaked as Ryuu lifted her off the ground and threw her on his back as if she were no more than lifting up a toy car.

"I'll make you pay for this Inuyasha!"

"Have a nice time." He chirped as Ryuu hauled her further and further away.

Kagome started roughly pounding on Ryuu's back, although he made no sign of feeling anything. With a final blow, that did no more than brush a few dust marks off his back, Kagome backed down. The ride was so uncomfortable…

"We almost there, stupid girl." Talk about a man of few words…

He pushed through a small mat-like door at the corner of the hallway. Kagome was finally getting the basic outline of where she was. The area was in the shape of a figure eight.

Pushing through the mat, which caused her hair to flip all over her face, they finally made it. Pushing back her curly curtain of jet-black hair, she stared in wide-eyed wonder at the large rolling plains that held blooming plants and thousands of people that appeared to be villagers picking them, bending down, turning, and repeating. It was beautiful, however hauntingly so; all them looked exhausted.

The plains glazed over from the setting sun. People continued the same pattern, over and over again. It smelt like mint cookies, oddly enough.

"Your spot," Ryuu pointed to a spot identical to the same spots occupying the rest of the vast fields.

"What do I do?" Kagome inquired.

"Yours shiso; pinch leaves and pick."

He knelt to the ground and began to demonstrate. She found herself actually paying attention to his ministrations. The reason must've been something of curiosity and interest; that or Ryuu was intimidating enough to make her want to.

"There," he finished, pinching one right in front of her face.

Kagome nodded half-heartedly. In the back of her mind she wandered how she was supposed to leave; there was no way she was going to become one of these lifeless people. Yet nobody seemed to be willing to share any information to her…her apparent "spiritual power" was all she had.

"Go. Start." Ryuu ordered.

She shook her head as if to rid her thought. 'C'mon Kagome. Focus.'

Kagome soon found the task was repetitive and tedious. Pinch. Pick. Pinch. Pick. There didn't seem to be a need for much brainwork, which explained the dull attitude of the rest of the people doing the exact same thing.

She continued the process anyways do to Ryuu's unyielding examination of her work. Despite the repetitiveness, she still found it difficult to thing about anything but when she was going to be allowed to go back inside. The heat was exhausting. Mentally, she made a note to ask Inuyasha why in the world these people were out working their butts in the fields when he sat in a magnificent castle.

She'd only been out for twenty minutes and was already tired.

Sweat was piling up all around her body. A large drop of salty sweat rolled down her neck, making her whimper softly in the hopes he wouldn't hear her; more kept piling up in the same area.

All at once, the bites that Kagome almost forgot from earlier for they didn't hurt at all in comparison to her neck were throbbing uncomfortably underneath her clothes in pain. Were they even there before? She'd have to check that out later…curse that Inuyasha…

"Good! Stupid girl do good job!"

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She continued the constant cycle.

The sun was set finally, and all of the relieved villagers began to pick up their baskets of herbs and walk back into the direction of the setting sun. Each of their eyes was sunken. A few village people stayed however, and slowly dragged their feet into the castle.

"Come. Follow."

Kagome picked up her basket of shiso and walked alongside Ryuu as they joined the small crowd of people flocking to the castle.

A cool breeze washed over when she walked inside, making her sigh with relief. Never again was she going to take supermarkets for granted…

Walking slowly behind Ryuu, she completed the mindless task of walking down the hallways to her room. Kagome was thankful, for at least now she wouldn't have to guess and remember where her room was.

He opened the door. "There. Get dressed. Meet outside."

Kagome nodded and opened the door; she was no longer staying in Sango's room. The room was just as plain and simple, however. Wooden floors, a small dresser, and a soft were all the items that occupied the room. Deciding this would be a perfect time to go and check out her wounds, she hurriedly peeled off her outfit and examined herself in the small mirror sitting on top of the dresser.

Purple bruise marks were all over her body in the shape of teeth marks. Kagome touched each one gently to make sure they were real, but even with her gentle touch she still took a sharp intake of breath. Yep, they were certainly real.

'These weren't there before…' she mulled, finally taking her fingers off.

Tearing off fabric from her kimono, she wrapped it around her abdominals. With a small squeeze it was tightened around her firmly. Opening the draws out of sheer curiosity, she found three pairs of plain white kimonos.

"Duh," she slapped her forehead. Ryuu asked her to change, where else would clothes be?

Kagome slipped on the white pair. They weren't as comfortable as the silk pair she had worn, but they would make do.

"Done?"

"One moment!"

She quickly slipped back on her shoes and met him outside. Ryuu stood rubbing his hands together. He gave her a wide smile that Kagome assumed was made to make him seem friendly, which didn't work because of his serious need for dental work. Well, until he cracked his knuckles.

"You're coming with me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…but where are we going?"

"Dinner,"

Wow did that sound nice. Kagome followed him with a little perk in each step, and a small smile on her face. She could get a little food in her stomach and then think of a way to leave.

Meandering down the hallway, Ryuu stopped in his tracks and opened a rather large door in comparison to the rest of the doors adjacent to it.

"Come in."

Kagome poked her head through the doorway. The soldiers in red were serving themselves some food, ravenously scooping huge amounts of it into their mouths, thereby flinging food particles into each other's plates. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Hurry up."

She complied and lifted a tray up. She didn't even bother to lift up her face to see who the chefs were for her concentration was solely on the food that they were dumping onto her plate.

With a small scan of the room, Kagome recognized a familiar brunette ponytail swaying slightly.

'Sango,' the thought bolted into her mind, and without thinking, she rushed over to greet her, giving her a big hug. Kagome wasn't sure if that was the 'norm' but oh well.

Apparently it wasn't for Sango's back immediately went stiff.

"Thank you for carrying me to your room."

Her back loosened.

"Oh my god Kagome!" Sango cried, whipping around to face her. "That was amazing what you did back there…how'd you do it?"

Kagome frowned and picked up a rice ball and swallowed up most of it.

"I'm not sure, it just kind of burst out of me, then I passed out. I don't quite remember how it all happened."

Sango scrunched up her face in confusion, taking a bite out of her own rice ball. She stared at her plate in concentration. Then she lifted up her chopstick and stabbed her plate as if reaching a conclusion.

"I know what the reason is. It's because you aren't trained. I bet with some practice, you could become a very good priestess from what I've seen of you."

"Do you think it'd be possible if you could teach me some priestess moves?"

Sango paused and rubbed her chin.

"Well I don't see why not. I know the basics of what it is, but that's it. I think I'd be better at showing you some fighting skills."

Kagome nodded, staring at her empty plate with total concentration. Maybe if she learned fighting skills or priestess skills she could fend for herself and find her way back home.

"Would you like me to show you a few moves since you're finished eating?" questioned Sango.

Kagome peered up from her plate. Sango's brown eyes gleamed honesty, how she knew that she wasn't sure, but she felt it.

She nodded her head vigorously till her poor bruised neck nearly snapped in half.

"Sure thing,"

Sango was still eating, so the rest of the meal was spent in companionable silence. Well, as close to companionable silence as being surrounded by a bunch of barbarians would allow.

Kagome felt a hand roughly shake her shoulder.

Angry grey eyes stared sharply at her.

"I found you, stupid girl. Wait till boss hears about this. You got lucky with what you did back there. Stupid girl won't be lucky this time."

Kagome saw the whole room turn quiet, as each head turned to stare at her. A fly could be heard buzzing in the background.

"Oh, um, I didn't mean to-"

"Leave her alone, Ryuu," Sango finished for her.

Ryuu stopped glaring and turned his eyes in surprise at Sango.

"You sure?"

Sango nodded, pointing her finger authoritatively at the door. "Yes, Ryuu. If Prince Inuyasha asks, tell him she's under my supervision right now."

Ryuu gave a small humble bow.

"Yes, Lady Sango." And there he went, toddling off a bit like a penguin due to his tubby body.

Kagome stared at his retreating figure in wonder.

"I didn't realize you had so much command over the soldiers."

"Yeah I do. I need to; being the only lady here aside from you and Kaede I have to show that none of them can mess with me." She let out a short giggle, which seemed odd coming from Sango but it made Kagome feel a bit more relaxed. She softly chuckled with Sango.

Gradually, the attention faded away from Kagome and back into conversations about how to kill certain animals and whose ax is better than whose.

"You ready?"

"I hope so."

"Don't worry, you'll be a natural."

With this the two girls emptied their remaining scraps into the garbage and walked outside a door that led straight into a star-lit sky and rows of crops.

"It's so amazing out here...where I live it's too bright to see the stars."

"You have that many torches and lanterns? How does your people do that?"

Kagome smiled at Sango's obvious confusion. "Not really. We use electricity, which is used for light as well as many other things."

"Elec-tri-city," Sango tried the foreign word.

She nodded.

"That's fascinating. Your people sound very advanced."

Kagome snorted. 'There's plenty of numbskulls where I'm from, don't worry.'

"Am I wrong?" Sango gave her a quizzical look towards her reply.

"No, it's just not everyone from where I'm from is that advanced. It just depends upon the person."

"Oh I see," Sango responded in understanding. Suddenly she stopped walking.

"Here we are."

It wasn't quite pitch black darkness, but it was a dark blue, and with what light sustained, Kagome could make out a trail set between two rows of plants that stood out from the rest due to its width.

"Follow me closely."

Kagome did so with ease, for there wasn't much to worry about except the occasional fly or mosquito.

The footsteps led into an area that was parted by trees. When they passed up the trees, Kagome noticed the place actually did look like real warrior training grounds, like the kind she'd seen in old documentaries watching television.

Targets were aligned side-by-side in a neat row next to a small shack.

"Okay...**NOW** we're here. What do you think?"

"It's interesting. I've never seriously trained for anything except maybe swimming, so I'm excited."

Sango beamed at the enthusiastic reply.

"I think that you'll enjoy it. I'll show you first and then you can try, but we might have to work on the spiritual part of it tomorrow because I know you've had a long day."

"Well...now that I've had a chance to relax a bit, the fresh air feels invigorating and I'd like to get some training in before it gets too dark." This wasn't entirely true. In fact, she almost felt bone-weary. But the quicker she got home, the faster she could sleep however long she wanted.

"Okay, give me just a moment."

Kagome waited patiently for Sango's return, completing the pointless task of counting how many rings made up the target circle. Moments later Sango began jogging out the shack, carrying what looked to be a seriously messed up, huge, dog bone. As Sango came closer, it looked like a gigantic boomerang...

"Am **I **supposed to use that?" Kagome pointed a dubious finger at herself.

"Sure you can! But first I'm going to give a demonstration."

Sango hoisted the odd weapon in the air. With a mighty grunt, she stepped forward and flung the mechanism. The target was immediately chopped into mere splints of wood.

Kagome clapped. "Woohoo!"

Laughing, Sango gave an exaggerated bow as if bowing for a large audience.

"Thank you, thank you..."

She clapped her hands as if to get serious again. "All you do is hold the end, reach back, and throw. Well, it's a bit more complex than that, I've been doing it for many years, but I think with practice you should get the basics of it. Here, you try."

Sango shoved the awkwardly large weapon into her hands. The weight of it caused Kagome to collapse.

"No, grab the end silly," Sango admonished.

Kagome made a second attempt. This time, grabbing the handle of the strange boomerang, she gave a clumsy tug and threw it with all her might. The boomerang didn't even make it to the target…

The action sucked whatever energy dinner had given her out of her body. The exertion had caused an immense surge of pain to rack through her body, forcing her to double-over.

"Oh crap! Are you okay!?" Sango came rushing to her side.

"I think...my stomach..." Kagome wheezed.

Wasting no time at all, Sango unbuttoned Kagome's white kimono from the waste, revealing her white appendages. Tenderly, she unwrapped them. Bruise marks were all over her stomach.

"Shoot! You can't be practicing with those kinds of injuries!" Sango scolded, yet all the while she was lifting Kagome onto her back.

"Sorry..." she muttered weakly.

Sango paid her no mind and quickly charged through the trail. Kagome wasn't quite sure what had happened next, for she closed her eyes in the attempt to get a bit of rest, though when she awoke she found Sango's eyes staring at her bruises and a glass of water.

"This is very strange...you have bruises, but no teeth marks... You must've blown those suckers to bits before they could sink their teeth in."

"I know, and the weird thing is after I woke up I didn't see or feel any bruises."

"Maybe your spiritual powers healed it."

Kagome stared at her stomach thoughtfully. "I still don't know how I did that."

"That doesn't matter. You're alive and now you need some rest...go to sleep...we'll go to the training grounds tomorrow."

"Will I be able to skip working in the fields?"

Sango's face sunk into a deep frown. "So that's where Inuyasha sent you. That dumb idiot...with those injuries you should've been resting the whole day, I thought you were with Kaede."

Kagome shook her head.

"We'll go in a few days if you're ready for it. I think Kaede has some special cream we can put on those bruises, but for now just rest."

She smiled at Sango's kindness. Really, she had no reason to care but she did anyways...that's something to be admired...

Sango was just about to leave until Kagome's voice stopped her.

"Sango, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Well...come close I don't want anyone over hearing."

Sango obeyed and came close, kneeling to her side.

"I can't stay here," she whispered, "My grandfather really needs me. He's probably worried sick. Is there any way you think I could leave without Prince Inuyasha finding out? I want to learn how to fend for myself before I go that's why I asked earlier."

This only caused Sango's frown to deepen.

"I know you don't see any reason to stay, but please do. You could really help him with...er...something."

Kagome glared at Sango's pleading face. It only caused anger to pile up in her stomach.

"What is this? Why does everyone need my help? I don't understand why I'm so important..."

Sango let out an agitated sigh.

"I'm not allowed to tell. If word got out, all the kingdoms would be after him and the castle, more so than the occasional battle. But basically, he has a curse, that if you became good enough with training you could possibly break the curse."

"What is the curse?"

"That's private information."

Kagome pinched her forehead in frustration. She hated being left curious…"It doesn't matter. There's no way I could do that Sango, I'm not nearly strong enough for that."

"How do you know? You haven't tried."

"I don't want to help that stupid jerk anyway. It's a good thing he has whatever that curse is."

Sango sighed again, unable to think of a way to respond to that, considering all the hell he'd put Kagome through.

"I see where you're coming from. Well goodnight Kagome."

Kagome yawned, snuggling deeper underneath the covers.

"G'night Sango…"

"One more thing before you go to bed." Kagome opened her heavy eyelids to stare at Sango's figure leaning on the doorway.

"Though you're the first female friend I've had in a while, Inuyasha is my first loyalty. He's my master. If you want to receive training from me, it won't be free. You'll have to abide by my rules."

Kagome shot her a puzzled glance.

"What's that?"

"That's for me to decide."


End file.
